3 comments about Hot Wheels: 35 Years of Speed, Power Performance and Attitude.

1. Hot Wheels were a major pastime for me growing up and I'm surprised this book didn't appear sooner. The wealth of information and anecdotes on how this toy came to be made the book very entertaining to read. While quite knowledgeable about his subject, the author made a number of factual errors regarding automotive history (I work in the industry) and was vague about some of the actual dates during the first few years of Hot Wheels production. Still, the good photography and artwork have made this one of my favorite books!



2. I bought this book for my 8 yr old that has every car I think that has ever been made by hotwheels(these include my old cars from when I was a kid). This book was wonderful. He loved seeing all the cars he has and some that he needs to get. This book was very well put together and will be an asset to any car collector or car lovers collection. Alot of information and wonderful photos inside.



3. This is a general overview of the creation and manufacture of Hot Wheels toy cars. Some rabid collectors will probably already know a lot, if not all, of the information in the book but I found it to be highly readable. There's not a lot of minute details but general information about the development and production of the early years. There is also some general information about Mattel's history.

   For toy cars they put a lot of effort into creating them and to this day it still shows. They have held up well and are still like little trophies to me. There are some details that elude the end of the story, like one engineer that volunteered to work on a no salary/percentage of production basis. They never explained what the end result of that bargain was other than it worked well for him in the long run.

   Other information like the development of the wire axles, Delrin bearings and the patents involved really took me by surprise. I had no idea how involved it was to create these little gems and what a chance they took in producing them. I am even more impressed with the toys after reading this book. It really was a labor of love to some extent. I also never realized that Elliot Handler's wife was the primary force behind Barbie.

   Anyone with even a casual interest in the toys and persons involved would probably find the information in this book to be insightful. I enjoyed it immensely.

1 comments about Tuscan Escapes: Inspirational Homes in Tuscany and Umbria.

1. taste of that i WOULD LIKE TO HAVE AT MY HOME... If you love Italy you should have that one.

1 comments about Construction Scheduling: Principles and Practices.

1. Great work by the author. Written in a very good style, to the point. It is for every one interested in construction scheduling.

1 comments about Coastal Homes 2 (Lifestyles Nature & Architecture (Am Publishers)).

1. A splndid book providing beautiful photos and interesting text on Coastal design in Mexico. A wonderful source of reference and inspiration for both the design community and homeowner.

1 comments about 25 Tropical Houses in Indonesia.

1. 25 Tropical Houses In Indonesia showcases architecture adapted not only to the needs of the user, but also the environmental and climate issues of daily life in the tropics. Full-color photography on virtually every page as well as black-and-white diagrams reveal structural and visual approaches, while the text describes at length the details of each house's unique features for lay readers and professional architects alike. Houses range in size and appearance from lofty to neo-cubist to resembling a cathedral. A majestic coffee-table book that wondrously captures the spirit of Indonesian architecture.

1 comments about The Cloisters: Medieval Art and Architecture (Metropolitan Museum of Art Series).

1. What a beautiful book! This text "breaks apart" the structure of the Cloisters (itself assembled in a bit of a hodgepodge), taking individual elements and structures and examining them.
   
   As an example of how accurate the descriptions are and how vividly it describes things: a few months after first looking at the book, I read a mystery in which there was a chase scene and a shootout (!) at the Cloisters. Because I had read this book, I was able to follow the *entire* scene and picture each major landmark mentioned. I hadn't been to the Cloisters in 10 years, but the book brought it all back that well!
   
   The book is full of full-color photography, with descriptive text. However, this is more than a coffee table book; it deserves to be studied, not just propped up for looks. If you do get it, read it and do it justice!

3 comments about Alberto Pinto: Classics.

1. For those who enjoy new opulent traditional interiors, this book showing residential projects designed by the Moroccan-born interior designer now based in Paris will no doubt delight. As a director for a photography agency specializing in architecture and interior for major shelter magazines, Alberto Pinto developed a rich, eclectic, and very photogenic style, becoming a "full-fledged decorator in the seventies". While careful scutiny might find the schemes less than fully developed, it is tasty eye-candy none-the-less and the general intent strong even if some of the details are off-kilter. The stylist in him often mixes the unexpected with the traditional, and the common with the fine to favorable results. In many cases, his work is a refreshing take on the "Style Rothschild" with more gilt, ormolu, and passementerie one might think possible, but with an eye towards controlled decoration rather than just piling it on.
   
   Featured are a lavish mansion on the Champ de Mars, two sumptuous Left Bank apartments, a substantial duplex apartment in New York City referred to as a "pied a terre", a seven story Manhattan townhouse of grand proportions, a Geneva apartment, two haciendas in Mexico, a seaside house presumed to be in the Hamptons, an airy house in Marbella, a chalet in Courchevel, the dining room and indoor swimming pool of a Left Bank mansion, a duplex apartment in a modern Cairo building, an English manor house, and the designer's own apartment on the Quai d'Orsay. This apartment, formerly the home of shoe designer Roger Vivier, is as grand as a neo-classical Russian palace. One of the more intimate spaces, a sitting room, is featured on the front dust cover, its walls upholstered in red-on-yellow toile de jouy dramatically criss-crossed with green velvet braid and a suite of 19th century chairs upholstered to match, whimsically contrasting with the serious Boulle furniture.
   
   The text is translated and therefore stilted; only basic information is provided anyway. More is learned of Pinto's style from the glossy photos and panoramic color renderings. While many would find it much too much, more ridiculous than sublime, this reviewer enjoyed the drama of the grand decorating theatre. Not the best, but better than most of this genre.



2. I also do own a lot of books on interior design, and when it comes to looking in to the opulent french style, this is a book to own. Even if you are not going to do a room like the ones he does (which I suppose is extremely rare) his ways which objects, placement of furniture, various kind of traditional pieces, combination of textures and colors will give very good direction for working with this kind of inspiration, rather than the usual more country/cotteny feel so often done by others. His illustrations are very detailed, leaves you wondering if they were done before (as a service to his clients) or after the room was finished. (For himself, I suppose). A book to own.



3. I have an extraordinarily large library of books on interior design books and this one equals or surpasses the very best. The number and quality of the photos are without parallel. The book represents the very best in haute European design. Pinto's work now is rivaled only by Peter Marino's, others of this genre having died. The average homemaker looking for ideas to freshen up the family room will not find them here. But for anyone interested in seeing what perfection of detail looks like -- in upholstery, curtains, garniture, and the like -- every page of this book will show them. It is worth every penny of the price and should be in every interior designer's collection, if only to inform them and their clients of what superior upholstery design and lush color can do for a room.

1 comments about White Walls, Designer Dresses: The Fashioning of Modern Architecture.

1. And what about the white walls of museums & art galleries. What about "the white cube" (Brian ' O Doherty) It takes Wigley a whole book to show that white walls are far from neutral. So therefore it seems to me a nice contradiction to say the opposite about the white walls of an art galllery. (page 8) In one sentence Wigley seems to forget that there was a very strong relationship between artist & architects in the early modernism. For me, interested in the relationship between art & architecture, this one sentence undermines the whole book. I'm sorry if this reaction is a bit sharp, but this page is too small to give a detailed critique. Wouter Davidts

5 comments about Constructing Staircases, Balustrades & Landings: (Building Basics Series).

1. This book will not give you all of the information required to build any staircase - anytime. But if you're interested in building stairs down to your basement or up to your 2nd floor addition, this is a very good source of information on the lay-out and space requirements. I felt like I was an o.k. stair builder(I'm a contractor/carpenter} and this book confirmed it. Professionals looking for new and interesting ideas will more than likely be disappointed. But if you're looking for a teaching aid for your guys, or a good book of examples of stairs, to show to your customers, then this book is a good buy.
   
   Don't EVER take the book A Treatise On Staircases And Handrails to show to your customers unless your planning to move in with them. It takes that long build those old antique designs with all of the decorative achitectural mouldings and ornamental handrailings. This book will get your guys to using phrases like newell post and quarter turn landing just as fluently as the redneck phrase "jooseeHER??".
   
   For the non-professional,, this is a good resource for the basics.
   
   "Mayonaise some good advice in air."



2. I purchased every book I could find on staircase building including _Basic Stairbuilding_ (usefull but not as straightforward as this one) and _Stair Builders Handbook_ (absolutely useless - don't waste your money).

   This book (Constructing Staircases...) contained the clearest diagrams and language that was easy for someone with no construction background to understand. I've used it exclusively to plan the construction of my staircase and am ready to begin building.

   Most of the reviews of this book are negative. I don't really understand why. If you want to build a staircase and have very little construction experience, this is the book you need. Building a staircase isn't rocket science but is reasonably complex as far as construction goes. Good luck!




3. I purchased the "Constructing Staircases, Balustrades & Landings" book after getting frustrated by the lack of details in the general purpose books out there, reguarding stairs.

   The book is GREAT! I learned a LOT about the basics in just the first two chapters. At under [$$], this book is a steal if you are looking for info on making your own staircase!




4. Like the photograph on the cover, this book is not what it seems. The text is simplistic, skimming the surface of a topic that people can devote a rich lifetime to studying.

   I bought it on the price and the strength of the cover photograph, because I'm Scottish (i.e. cheap), felt ambitious, and wanted to build a circular staircase from scratch.

   The book doesn't touch on that subject at all. The cover "photograph" is actually a poorly-rendered computer graphic, and the text inside matches it well.

   (By the way: DO NOT attempt to build a circular staircase from scratch unless you have years of woodworking under your belt, a very complete workshop at your disposal, are completely comfortable with extremely complex geometry, and have a source of income that allows you infinite free time :-)




5. I'm in the process of remodeling my house and am replacing a stair railing. I used information from instructions the stair parts manufacturers produce and help from a stair parts salesman to figure out the parts I would need but needed some additional help in actually installing it. I found this book at a woodworking show and thought I was set. Unfortunately almost all it covers is the design and constructions of the stairs themselves. The design and construction of the railing is barely touched on. I got more information from the manufacturer's instructions and the instructions that came with some of the installation hardware.

   I can't really comment on how good the stair construction information is since that's not what I was interested in, but I can't recommend this at all if your looking for information on stair railing design and construction.

   If you're looking for railing information I would recommend the book "Stairs: The Best of Fine Homebuiling". (ISBN 1561581313)

5 comments about England's Thousand Best Churches.

1. ....on the history and architecture of England's Best Churches.
   
   The main purpose of purchasing the book was to explore the architecture of these churches. The book is crammed with so many wonderful and descriptive pictures, it just makes the mind soar to new heights.
   
   The imagination and engineering that went into these classic buildings is nearly incomprehensible.
   
   If you love the beauty and the history of these majestic buildings, then this book is a must.



2. I lived in England for a couple of years and travel back with regularity. On every visit, I make time to visit some of these ancient churches so, to put it mildly, I'm very biased in favor of this subject. Almost nothing compares with going to a weather worn parish church and finding the font where your ancestor was baptized some four hundred years before still in use - an experience I had some years back. With this background in mind, I'll simply say that Mr. Jenkin's work here is monumental and I don't use that term lightly. There are of course church's noticeably absent and one wishes the author could have found a way to include some of England's cathedrals but that does not diminish his achievement. The English church is inextricably linked with English history and he has done them both a great justice by writing this book.



3. The historical background is good; very helpful as a travelogue. Author should have lessen his personal architectural taste. Splendid photos, specially the details. Good general information; but not so helpful for my purpose of getting ideas in designing small chapels.



4. This is a well-written and well-organized compendium of interesting churches throughout England. Useful for the those looking for the road less traveled (by other tourists.)



5. This is an absolutely fascinating book that is indespensable if you are touring around England and want to see some amazingly lovely off-the-beaten-track places.
   
   Mr. Jenkins has compiled a listing of one thousand churches throughout England that he feels are worth seeing. Each church is given a description, including a specific reason why it ranks among the top thousand. There is such a splendidly wide array of reasons: from architectural details, to unique contruction tecniques, to interesting historical context, that it never gets dull.
   
   My parents are taking the book quite seriously, and are trying to visit each of the churches (I think they are a quarter of the way through, and their copy of this book is alrady completely covered with marginalia!). I have visited several of the churches with them, and always find the experience enlightening and interesting. Each church truly is unique, and it is always fascinating to see how.
   
   Since the publication of the book, many of the churches that are on the list have taken an active interest in their own history. When my parents first started touring the churches, they were usually met by blank stares and a "why on earth do you care about our little church?" from the locals... but a few years later they find that frequently the whole community has rallied around the idea that they had an undiscovered treasure in their midst, and something to be quite proud of. For that reason alone, I think it's a great book.